Comment by GVRV | Hacker News Reader

Comment by GVRV | Hacker News Reader

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I do not agree with her as well. Yes there are problems with the system. Yes, we can have a more liberal flexible system. But the system is designed for everyone.

How many people in your class didn't know the capitals? How many couldn't write a formal letter? How many couldn't solve for x? I'm sure majority of HN thought this was trivial, but many others need this, and the only way they can learn it is through repetitive, boring, tedious tasks.

It would be more helpful if schooling allowed everyone to excel in whatever they wanted to, but the fact is we still need a basic understanding of everything. Yeah, it's easy to subscribe to the romantic view that doodlers will become great artists, but the fact is being a great artist and knowing differential calculus are mutually exclusive. She has a very black or white view of the educational system. She half expects this magical school system that would transform her into this creative genius if she just demands it loudly. She seems afraid of failure, she doesn't want to work hard for it.

If it weren't for these boring tedious tasks, I would've never known about the works of Shakespeare or how cells multiply and many other things I would've never considered studying for, but later found really interesting. The educational system isn't meant to be a one shop stop for your enlightening. It's meant to show you what's possible, what doors you can take. Then you can walk through any door - work on whatever excites you, whatever interests you.

I feel that learning to solve for x, learning the capitals, writing a formal letter, etc. can all be handled better than "repetitive, boring, tedious tasks." Why am I solving for x? How would knowing the capital of Nebraska ever help me? When would I write a formal letter? These are questions school fails to answer and thus fails the students.

For example, teachers could give projects out that involve a closed-system and get the students to work through the problem until everyone understands. I have spent weeks being taught a single subject because the teaching pattern involved putting a math problem on the board, wiping it off, repeat until the bell rings...

Another example would be finding a business that they deal with regularly and writing a formal letter expressing their concern/surprise at the services the business provides. In school, instead, I was given the task of copying word-for-word formal letters out of a book for the purpose of replicating something identically.

The problem is that we are graded and passed based on memorization, duplication, and busywork. It's not that we accomplished anything in particular - we just learned a little stuff without much purpose (most of which will be forgotten within a year or two).

You're kidding, right? Even my small town school in India told me why I had to write letters or solve for x. We actually posted a letter to a relative and to the local council. We actually solved for x using everyday examples involving ice cream or something. I'm not saying the schools should force this learning, schools definitely should give a convincing reason why things like this are important and if I'm correct most teachers do. What I'm saying is, these things do have a reason behind why they need to be understood, and no should be exempted from learning basic sciences just because they want to be the next Leonardo or U2. Sure, go ahead, be the next big thing, but also do your Math homework, it's not going to hurt your progress.

"... but the fact is being a great artist and knowing differential calculus are mutually exclusive."

Either you missed a 'not', or you need to stop and think about the number of people you've just insulted with this statement. Math and art have been strongly intertwined for a very long time, from the Golden Ratio of the Greeks to Da Vinci to Escher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_and_art). Those who are good at math are frequently good at art partly because they can understand abstractions and separate them from 'icons' of objects and ideas. I would instead state that it is the rare great artist that doesn't have the ability to quickly pick up continuous math concepts.

I missed a 'not'.

You're right about needing basic understanding of everything. However schooling goes much further beyond that. You can take college level courses in high school. A college level education is supposed to summarize your professional capabilities. As you can see, the problem is that youth is swallowed up by an educational itinerary that leaves very little time for you to do what you want at a time you can make the most out of it.

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